Problem parents who fail to rein in their disruptive children are the biggest cause of classroom chaos, according to teachers. The survey of 500 primary and secondary school teachers for Teachers TV found that 80% believed that parents were the biggest contributing factor to discipline problems in the classroom.

58% of the teachers polled said that parents should be forced to stay at home to look after suspended children - that figure rose to 63% among head teachers.

'Relationships between home and school are central to student discipline,' said John Bayley, behaviour management specialist and Teachers' TV presenter. 'Teachers' frustration shows we still have a long way to go in building a partnership between parents and schools. While parents are part of the problem and critical to the solution, teachers need to use every ounce of their experience and creativity to engage with their pupils to ward off bad behaviour.'

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